BRAIN DRAIN IN GHANA: AN EFFECT OF MIGRATION

Have you come across the term 'brain drain' before? Well, if you haven't, allow me to put it this way; a situation in which huge numbers of educated and highly skilled people migrate from their countries in search of greener pastures (better pay and conditions of service) in other countries. Today, I listened to Mrs Samira Bawumia (the 2nd lady of the republic of Ghana) while she addressed the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) as part of their international relations seminar. One thing became clear to me, if we are willing to work in Ghana as hard as we do when we migrate to other countries, then we can make it in our own country. After all these years, if you still think there are no green grasses in Ghana, then you are not looking close enough. Of course it's not easy, nothing is.

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No country was created wealthy and successful, the citizens made it so. Imagine the citizens of America decided to run to Britain because things were too hard for them. Do you think there will be an America for you and I to run to today? Certainly not. It took brave and courageous men and women to put their feet down and their shoulders to the wheel in the creation of any so called developed nation you see today. Did you know???

The trend for young doctors and nurses to seek higher salaries and better working conditions, mainly in the West, is killing the healthcare sector in Ghana. Ghana currently has about 2000 doctors—one for every 11,000 inhabitants. This compares with one doctor per 2000 people in the United States. Many of the country’s trained doctors and nurses leave to work in countries such as Britain, the United States, Jamaica and Canada, in what many refer to as the brain drain. It is estimated that up to 68% of the country’s trained medical staff left between 1993 and 2000 and according to Ghana’s official statistics institute, in the period 1999 to 2004, 448 doctors, or 54% of those trained in the period, left to work abroad”.    

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What kills me is the fact that a chunk of our brothers and sisters end up getting exploited, molested and abused in these foreign lands they find themselves. Most recently, we all were witnesses to the Black Slave Trade that took place in Libya. There were several energetic and smart Ghanaian youth who fell victims to this inhumane scandal. I still remember the Government of Ghana rushing to Libya to rescue her citizens via a passenger plane. Upon arrival, these people were psychologically evaluated and given some monies to travel back to their home towns. What a pity right? At least we are grateful that most of them made it home alive.

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Don't get me wrong, it's OK to travel abroad to further one's education or seek for knowledge and skill. Because the truth is, our country is now growing and we must learn from those ahead of us. But at the end of the day,never forget where you come from. Even Dr. Nkrumah, the man who led Ghana to independence, had most of his advanced education outside the country. But as you would agree with me, he never for once forgot his roots. There are those who have acquired legal and legitimate means to travel and improve themselves abroad and that is OK. But for you and I who do not have this means, lets stay and build our nation. Let's make it attractive enough that others will also want to come and live.

As I said, there are numerous opportunities in Ghana here that we can exploit, and even if you can't find one, at least it is better to be home where you know you are safe.  

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BY @osmansnr from #steemitghana.

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